1
: to concern oneself or itself
The book deals with education.
a lawyer who deals with real estate law
2
a
: to take action with regard to someone or something
deal with an offender
Who's going to deal with this mess?
b
: to reach or try to reach a state of acceptance or reconcilement
trying to deal with her son's death
3
card games
: to distribute the cards to players
your turn to deal
4
business
a
: to sell or distribute something as a business
deal in insurance
b
: to engage in bargaining : trade
1
a
card games
: to distribute (playing cards) to players
Deal the cards.
b
: to give as one's portion : apportion
dealt out three sandwiches apiece
a judge dealing out punishments
2
: administer, deliver
dealt him a blow
1
business
a
: an act of dealing (see deal entry 1 sense 4) : transaction
big corporate deals
a real estate deal
b
: contract sense 1a
signed a 2-year deal
c
: bargain
got a great deal on a new TV
accepted a plea deal
2
: an arrangement for mutual advantage
kept his side of the deal
3
: treatment received
a dirty deal
5
: mccoy
—used in the phrase the real deal
6
: affair sense 2
Dinner was an informal deal.
7
1
: a usually large or indefinite quantity or degree
a great deal of support
a good deal faster
2
card games
a
: the act or right of distributing cards to players
It's your deal.
b
: hand sense 7b
have time for one more deal
Synonyms
Verb
Noun (1)
- accord
- agreement
- bargain
- compact
- contract
- convention
- covenant
- disposition
- pact
- settlement
- understanding
Noun (2)
- abundance
- barrel
- basketful
- boatload
- bucket
- bunch
- bundle
- bushel
- carload
- chunk
- dozen
- fistful
- gobs
- good deal
- heap
- hundred
- lashings [chiefly British]
- lashins
- loads
- lot
- mass
- mess
- mountain
- much
- multiplicity
- myriad
- oodles
- pack
- passel
- peck
- pile
- plateful
- plenitude
- plentitude
- plenty
- pot
- potful
- profusion
- quantity
- raft
- reams
- scads
- sheaf
- shipload
- sight
- slew
- spate
- stack
- store
- ton
- truckload
- volume
- wad
- wealth
- yard
Examples of deal in a Sentence
Noun (1)
we made a deal to cooperate on the next assignment
we closed the deal for the house last week
if the other party backs out of the deal after it's signed, you can sue
we don't yet know what the deal is with the new manager
that mail-order sweater isn't such a great deal after you factor in the cost of shipping and handling
It's your turn to deal.
Each player is dealt five cards.
She was dealt a full house.
dealing out the cards for a game of poker
The offending players were dealt harsh penalties.
She got caught dealing drugs in school.
Noun (2)
there is a great deal of waste in government
Recent Examples on the Web
Stefan Nicola, Fortune Europe, 18 May 2024
Those who want to see wolverines reintroduced to California were dealt a setback this week.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
And with the way sophomore pitcher Kate Skinner was dealing on the mound, Dublin had no shot at coming back.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024
Seen as most aligned with Mr. Blinken are Vice President Kamala Harris and Jon Finer, the deputy national security adviser, while Brett McGurk, the president’s Middle East coordinator, who deals extensively with Israeli counterparts, is considered more attuned to their vantage point.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 11 May 2024
Teacher Appreciation Week Deals and Freebies There are plenty of Teacher Appreciation deals out there for 2024.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 7 May 2024
Hathaway was dealt the unenviable task of embodying director James Gray’s mother in Armageddon Time, an autobiographical drama based on his childhood.
—Chris Bellamy and Stephanie Kaloi, EW.com, 2 May 2024
Toronto Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt was dealing.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2024
As Russia’s most high-profile and popular dissident, Navalny’s death dealt a severe blow to the country’s opposition movement, which has been brutally suppressed by the Kremlin.
—Dan De Luce, NBC News, 27 Apr. 2024
Gene Maddaus, Variety, 22 May 2024
The league’s other current media partner, Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT Sports, did not exit its window with a deal.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024
Denver didn’t make a major move at tight end this offseason except bringing back Adam Trautman on a one-year deal.
—Ryan McFadden, The Denver Post, 21 May 2024
After years of debate, the council in 2019 narrowly approved a $200 million tax incentive deal for the redevelopment of the Brookridge Golf Course, at the corner of Interstate 435 and Antioch Road.
—Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2024
The union’s negotiations for a new basic agreement with the studios wrapped up last week without a deal but are expected to continue.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
Do: Compare rates at banks or a brokerage Your bank’s CDs might be convenient but not always the best deal.
—Nerdwallet, The Mercury News, 20 May 2024
Per the Associated Press, a May 19 court filing stated the seafood restaurant chain, known for its endless shrimp deal, has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Florida.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 20 May 2024
Sign up for the Ralphs newsletter and receive all the latest updates, exclusive deals, promotions, and special offers delivered to your inbox..
—USA TODAY, 10 May 2024
Verb
The slowdown has dealt a serious blow even to Tesla, which has lost $235 billion in market capitalization this year, more than triple VW’s current valuation.
—Stefan Nicola, Fortune Europe, 18 May 2024
Those who want to see wolverines reintroduced to California were dealt a setback this week.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
And with the way sophomore pitcher Kate Skinner was dealing on the mound, Dublin had no shot at coming back.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024
Seen as most aligned with Mr. Blinken are Vice President Kamala Harris and Jon Finer, the deputy national security adviser, while Brett McGurk, the president’s Middle East coordinator, who deals extensively with Israeli counterparts, is considered more attuned to their vantage point.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 11 May 2024
Teacher Appreciation Week Deals and Freebies There are plenty of Teacher Appreciation deals out there for 2024.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 7 May 2024
Hathaway was dealt the unenviable task of embodying director James Gray’s mother in Armageddon Time, an autobiographical drama based on his childhood.
—Chris Bellamy and Stephanie Kaloi, EW.com, 2 May 2024
Toronto Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt was dealing.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2024
As Russia’s most high-profile and popular dissident, Navalny’s death dealt a severe blow to the country’s opposition movement, which has been brutally suppressed by the Kremlin.
—Dan De Luce, NBC News, 27 Apr. 2024
Noun
Kassan’s attorney shot back that Kassan had decided to leave to start a rival firm, and that UTA had offered a deal to keep him on the payroll.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 22 May 2024
The league’s other current media partner, Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT Sports, did not exit its window with a deal.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024
Denver didn’t make a major move at tight end this offseason except bringing back Adam Trautman on a one-year deal.
—Ryan McFadden, The Denver Post, 21 May 2024
After years of debate, the council in 2019 narrowly approved a $200 million tax incentive deal for the redevelopment of the Brookridge Golf Course, at the corner of Interstate 435 and Antioch Road.
—Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2024
The union’s negotiations for a new basic agreement with the studios wrapped up last week without a deal but are expected to continue.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
Do: Compare rates at banks or a brokerage Your bank’s CDs might be convenient but not always the best deal.
—Nerdwallet, The Mercury News, 20 May 2024
Per the Associated Press, a May 19 court filing stated the seafood restaurant chain, known for its endless shrimp deal, has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Florida.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 20 May 2024
Sign up for the Ralphs newsletter and receive all the latest updates, exclusive deals, promotions, and special offers delivered to your inbox..
—USA TODAY, 10 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deal
Cite this Entry
“Deal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deal. Accessed 24 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deal
1 of 3 noun1
: a large or indefinite amount or extent
means a great deal
2
a
: the act or right of passing out cards to players in a card game
deal
2 of 3 verb1
: to give as one's portion : distribute
deal out sandwiches
deal the cards
2
: give entry 1 sense 9a
dealt him a blow
3
: to have to do : treat
the book deals with education
4
: to take action
deal with offenders
5
a
: to engage in bargaining : trade
b
: to sell or distribute something as a business
deals in insurance
deal
3 of 3 noun1
a
: an act of dealing : transaction
b
: the result of bargaining : a mutual agreement
make a deal for a used car
2
: treatment received
a dirty deal
3
: an arrangement for the advantage of all involved
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